


i see your colours and i'm dying of thirst

by c_lifford



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), 5SOS
Genre: AU, Ashton is at university/college and Luke is year 12, It is basically an excuse to use the story about them meeting at the movies aw, Lashton - Freeform, M/M, Soulmate AU, Soulmate Tattoos, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 06:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2180877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_lifford/pseuds/c_lifford
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's far too hot to be going to the movies, in Ashton's opinion. Not that anyone asked him. But despite the hot weather, he feels drawn there- as if something big is about to happen right in the dingy little cinema. The tattoo on his shoulder is aching slightly, and he feels the way his hands start to shake as if it isn't thirty fucking degrees outside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i see your colours and i'm dying of thirst

**Author's Note:**

> title from ink by coldplay because i am more clever than people give me credit for
> 
> this is ridiculously self indulgent i just love soulmate AU's so much

Ashton wakes up clutching his shoulder, groaning in pain. Tears are building up in his eyes, threatening to spill over and it’s all he can do to blink them away. 

 

The neon green numbers on the clock beside his bed read 3:04. It’s three in the morning and Ashton has no clue why he’s suddenly consumed by the burning pain. After a few minutes, the pain begins to subside, and he slowly removes his hand from where it had been clamped against his bare shoulder. 

 

The breath catches in his throat as he realises what’s going on. Swirls of black ink now decorate his collarbone, and suddenly it all makes sense. Soulmate tattoos aren’t exactly a secret, of course. It’s just… he wasn’t expecting to get it so soon. He’s 16, after all, and most people don’t get their tattoos until they’re at least 20. He remembers his uncle saying once that he didn’t get his until he was 27.

 

Ashton isn’t supposed to be worrying about this yet. He’s 16, he isn’t ready to look for his soulmate. He’s supposed to be studying for his exams, not trying to find someone with the same tattoo as him. With a long sigh, Ashton pulls the covers up to his chin and closes his eyes. He’ll deal with it in the morning, Whatever _it_ is.

 

***

 

It’s been three months since Ashton got his tattoo and he’s stopped worrying about who it is. His mum suggested that maybe he won’t find his soulmate until much later, maybe he just got the tattoo earlier than he was supposed to. He tries not to think about it too much, ignores the possibility of finding his soulmate everywhere he goes. It’s easier like that, less stressful.

 

The tattoo itself isn’t just swirls of black ink like he originally thought- it’s music. Sheet music, to be exact. Ashton tried playing the song, but he’s never been much good at the guitar, and it’s hard when you’ve never heard the song before. He likes it though, or he at least thinks he does. it’s hard to tell when the notes are all broken up, but he thinks he’d like the sound of anything if it led him to finding his soulmate.

 

***

 

It’s too hot and going to the movies is the last thing he wants to do, but he promised Michael that he’d see the latest X-Men with him, so here they are. 

 

It's far too hot to be going to the movies, in Ashton's opinion. Not that anyone asked him. But despite the hot weather, he feels drawn there- as if something big is about to happen right in the dingy little cinema. The tattoo on his shoulder is aching slightly, and he feels the way his hands start to shake as if it isn't thirty fucking degrees outside. He brushes it off though, maybe he’s just getting a cold. Or something.

 

By the time they have their tickets and popcorn, Ashton feels fine. The aching in his shoulder is still there, but it’s faded to a dull pain which he can ignore easily enough. 

 

As they walk into the movie theatre, Ashton is surprised by two things. The first is that the movie theatre is literally empty, apart from him and Michael. Probably because it’s the middle of summer and nobody else is stupid enough to even think about seeing a movie on such a nice day. The only other people in there are a small group of boys at the back who look to be about 17. Which brings him to the next surprising thing- the sound of laughter. And it isn’t just normal laughter- it’s mean laughter.

 

‘Get off me!’

 

‘C’mon Lukey, show us. Move your hand, idiot.’

 

Ashton frowns, confused. ‘Do you know those kids?’ he whispers to Michael, who doesn’t look surprised at all to see the boys there.

 

‘They’re all in my year. Little blonde kid is in my class, doesn’t look year 12 but he is, he got his soulmate tattoo yesterday and still won’t show anyone.’

 

Ashton frowns again, he remembers the feeling of being the only one with a tattoo. College is much better than high school in that respect- nobody cares that he got his tattoo early. It’s just something that happened, and he knows that a few other people got theirs early too. High school kids never knew how to react, when they saw it, but college kids just don’t care. Even though it was a few years ago now, the shame sticks in his mind as clear as ever. He didn’t want to show anyone either- but then again, nobody had tried to force it out of him like these people were clearly doing.

 

‘I’m gonna go talk to him.’ The words are out of Ashton’s mouth before he has time to process them, and then his legs are moving of their own accord. He ignores Michael’s desperate pleas in favour of walking up the stairs towards the group. He has no idea why he’s doing this, or what he’ll do when he gets there, but he’s walking anyway. He just has to do something.

 

By the time he reaches the top of the stairs, he has the blonde boys’ attention. But the blue eyes aren’t directed at his face- they’re burning into Ashton’s shoulder. He’d forgotten that he was wearing a singlet, and the tattoo isn’t exactly small. He rubs it self-consciously, feeling almost like he’s in high school again. The blonde boy still doesn’t say anything, just keeps staring at Ashton’s shoulder. The boys around him are silent too now, all of them watching Ashton.

 

‘Stop giving him shit, hey?’ Ashton says, trying to sound more casual and pulled together than he actually feels. The boys obviously recognise that Ashton’s a college student, and all of them walk down to the row in front of them and sit down. Only the blonde boy remains, his gaze still fixed on Ashton's shoulder.

 

‘I’m Luke.’ The blonde boy- _Luke-_ offers, stretching out the hand that isn’t covering his shoulder.

 

‘Ashton.’ He takes the hand offered to him, wondering why he doesn’t want to let go. It’s a stupid feeling, and he ignores it in favour of asking Luke what the big deal was with the group of boys. The movie has started by now, and they’re both whispering so as not to interrupt it.

 

‘I, uh, I got my tattoo yesterday. They wouldn’t piss off about what it is.’

 

‘Can I ask what it is?’ The question obviously startles Luke, who blushes a deep red and uses his free hand to push his quiff back a little more.

 

‘I wrote that.’ Luke says instead, and Ashton is confused for a moment before he realises what Luke is referring to. His tattoo. Luke wrote the music that’s been tattooed into his shoulder for the past three years. And now he has to know.

 

‘Luke, move your hand.’ Ashton says softly. And Luke does.

 

Luke’s tattoo is identical to Ashton's, stretching from beneath his inner collarbone right around to the back of his shoulder. Notes to a song Ashton could never work out how to play. Notes to a song written by Luke.

 

‘Oh my god.’ Ashton doesn’t have to try to whisper anymore, it’s an effort to make the words come out at all. His hand is reaching forward almost subconsciously to brush across the black ink. ‘You’re my soulmate.’

 

Luke nods, still looking at Ashton’s tattoo. ‘I could never finish the song.’ he murmurs, ‘I could never figure out what notes sounded good after the chorus. I guess that’s why.’

 

‘What’s the song called?’ Ashton murmurs, still bushing his fingers across Luke’s tattoo, smiling at the way Luke shivers from the touch.

 

‘I’m not sure yet. Maybe you could help me out. We have time, after all,’ Luke says, smiling now.

 

Ashton can’t help but grin as he leans back into his chair, enjoying the way Luke shivers when he takes his hand. ‘We have all the time in the world.’

 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked it! please leave a comment/give kudos, you don't have to have an account to do either :)
> 
> my tumblr is sassqueenmikey hmu


End file.
